Music Reviews from an overanalyzing junkie. Submissions for LPs and EPs are open! amcnal817@gmail.com

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MisterWives’ sophomore album is blunt in its mission statement – color. The album’s title is “Connect the Dots,” along with the bright cover of partially colored-in animals. One of the album’s better tracks is titled “Coloring Outside the Lines.” This is all important to note for two reasons – indie and alternative bands always have to conquer the notorious sophomore slump, where they must prove themselves more than a one-trick pony; and the indie scene which birthed the group has almost completely faded away. Mumford and Sons got electric and boring, and stalwarts like Grouplove, Three Door Cinema Club, and countless others have mostly failed at adapting to the recent trend of darker, more political music. So by setting up this identity of color – something the band has always had plenty of anyways – it gives them that personal tick to succeed in 2017.

Of course, it takes more than color – it takes the music, too. I wrote about this band’s first album and my experience finding them playing an opening gig in some carved out Manhattan bar. That album, as you can tell, is also colorful (with our animal friends making an earlier appearance). “Connect the Dots” doesn’t exactly stand up to “Our Own House” in an immediate way, although it certainly doesn’t make this a bad album. The difference lies in the diversity of the tracks. “Our Own House” had a freeing sense of ambition, in that the band easily blended sounds and emotions into a relative whole. “Connect the Dots” is, as the title maybe unintentionally implies, a simpler album. It is more straightforward indie-pop, with few digressions.

One of the album’s more interesting tracks is the opener, “Machine.” New fans who may have heard “Reflections” on the radio may be surprised by the song’s seeming appropriation of latin music. Singer Mandy Lee even sounds like Shakira at points. (It’s maybe not the most appropriate thing, but we’re all just letting Drake get away with way worse). After that track, though, comes “Chasing This” and “Only Human,” two perfectly enjoyable but largely interchangeable indie songs that half-halt any momentum built by “Machine.”

One of the great things about “Our Own House” was the ways in which varying members got featured. Lee’s amazing voice obviously carried “Reflections,” but other tracks got to shine instrumentally. The band feels more collective here, which in many alleys is a plus. But it also means the songs sound less individual than before, and it shows through much of the album. MisterWives have crafted the perfect kind of innocent, often optimistic brand of indie-pop that is never corny, always enjoyable, yet mostly just passing. And that’s what most of this album is – very pleasant, perfect for warm days and small gatherings, and not a whole lot more.

“Out of Tune Piano” is one of the album’s better songs because of, well, the out of tune piano. It lumbers up and down during the verses in a bouncy tune. The last two tracks are also effective. “Oh Love” is a hectic blast of ‘everything we couldn’t turn into a full song,’ that winds through a pace that’s pretty breakneck for indie music. The closer “Let the Light In” might spend too long building, but the big payoff is worth it regardless.

Lee’s voice, the domineering force of the band, is both centered in the middle and also placed at the same volume as everything else in a way that lets her physical voice shine through but muddles the actual lyrics in the music. Still, there’s some beautiful lines throughout. The one that stuck out to me was in “Coloring Outside the Lines,” where Lee sings “They say that time slips away when you’re having fun / That’s why you said ‘let’s change our lives to a dull one.'”

So, “Connect the Dots” is ultimately a standard indie album. The band has the advantage of Lee’s powerful vocals, and their use of color in and out of music. If you’ve ever seen a picture of this band, they look like a very specific type of subgroup, of the people who go to Coachella, take some molly, rap along with black rappers but also are genuinely good people. I cannot say how accurate this is, but it’s the real vibe the album gives off. MisterWives sound like they’re having a lot of fun in the studio, and even if that fun doesn’t always translate to the listener, it can still be enjoyable. The indie rebirth phase has almost completely checked out, and it leaves bands like MisterWives out in the cold. But it shouldn’t take away from the fact that they’re a solid, fun group making some effortlessly joyous music.

Portugal. The Man have somehow found their way to prevalence in the indie world. They’re not the most interesting band, but they are constantly on tour and they try (and usually succeed) to record an album every year. Their consistency might be what has helped to make them a name over the past few years. Whatever it may be, they picked the right time to make a record like “Evil Friends.” Famous producer Danger Mouse was brought in to diversify the band’s sound, and although his mark might be left a little too hard, the band was left with their best album yet.

Portugal. The Man have always been an enjoyable band, but it took many albums for them to start to hit outside their comfort zone. True, their comfort zone has switched from garage rock to more of a sweeter, indie-pop sound. The transition has been slow, though, and this album expands their sound while maintaining their musical innocence. Every track is a fun and bouncy dose of indie-pop, all radio-ready but different from the previous song. Danger Mouse helped the band expand their sound to every limitation of alt-pop, with the best possible results.

Interestingly, the lyrics consistently haunt at things deeper. They don’t always get there, but with song titles like “Creep in a T-Shirt,” “Evil Friends,” and “Modern Jesus,” some darker themes are clearly being presented. Religion and nasty break-ups are emotionally worked through, sometimes cleanly, sometimes not. The lyrics do not necessarily fit the music, but the quality of the package as a whole makes it possible to overlook this. Overall, it is not the most unforgettable album, or the most original. If some great indie-pop from a respected band is what you’re looking for, though, “Evil Friends” is the right direction to turn in.

If you like this, try: “Dear Miss Lonelyhearts” by Cold War Kids, 2013.